Penn State TE Tyler Warren updates his status for the Peach Bowl and his future
Penn State tight end Tyler Warren was one of 16 players who met with the reporters Friday morning during the team’s media day leading up to the Peach Bowl. Following Theo Johnson’s announcement that he’ll play in the bowl game but then move on to the NFL, Warren’s status for the 2024 season is one that fans have been waiting to hear over the past week.
When it comes to the bowl game, he made it clear that there wasn’t much of a decision to make. He’s going to play. However, when it comes to whether or not he’ll enter the 2024 NFL Draft, that’s still up in the air.
“I really don’t think there was much of a decision,” said Warren, when asked if he’ll take the field with the Nittany Lions on Dec. 30. “I’m on this team and that’s the next game on the schedule. I got commitments to this team, so that’s what I do.”
He went on to add, “I obviously have a decision to make, but right now, I’m just focused on the Peach Bowl and making sure we’re getting ready to go.”
When asked what he needs to think about regarding the NFL Draft, Warren said, “There’s a lot of things. I’ll discuss that with my family, but right now, I’m really just focused on still becoming a better tight end and making sure the team is doing good in practices.”
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Both Warren and Johnson came to Penn State as members of the Class of 2020. With Pat Freiermuth still on the roster, Warren played in just two games in 2020, but the pair have led PSU’s tight end room ever since.
Over the course of Johnson’s career, he’s totaled 75 receptions for 922 yards and 11 touchdowns. Warren hasn’t ranked up the number of yards as Johnson – he’s totaled 479 yards so far – but he has been clutch in the red zone, scoring 11 touchdowns, seven of which were just this season.
Warren said he’s looking forward to taking the field with Johnson one final time.
“I’m excited to play with him one more time. It’s kind of sad, but it’ll be fun,” Warren said. “So, just kind of enjoying the moments with him that we have left. [I want to] just do that and not focus on the end part.”
The addition of new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki was also a popular topic. Warren said he’s enjoyed getting to know Kotelnicki over the past two weeks and thinks he’ll be a good fit for the program moving forward.
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“I like him. He’s good. I think he’ll be a good fit here and I think we’re excited to play for him,” Warren said.
He went on to add, “I think he does a good job. If you look at what he’s done, using the personnel and not necessarily having one system, he kind of uses the players he has and I think that’ll be a big thing for us going into next season.”
Warren saw his totals climb significantly in 2023, racking up 29 receptions for 295 yards. His seven touchdowns were the second most at the Power Five level, with only Oregon State’s Jack Velling and TCU’s Jared Wiley surpassing him with eight.
Looking back, Warren said he’s happy with the progress he made but still knows he can improve.
“I think I definitely improved over the offseason and into this season, and there’s still things I can get better at as a tight end, of course. But I thought I was the best teammate that could be on the field and that’s something I focus on a lot. So, I was proud of that, but I think there’s still stuff I could improve on.”
